Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record, Type Locality: Mudflats, Lincoln County/OR/Idaho Inlet, Yaquina Bay (unspecified date, Markham 2004), paratypes collected 6/23/2000/; Riverbend//OR/Yaquina Bay (1999, Markham 2003, parasitic on Upogebia pugettensis; Chapman et al. 2012)
Geographic Extent
Mudflats, Lincoln County/OR/Idaho Inlet, Yaquina Bay (unspecified date, Markham 20034, paratypes collected 6/23/2000/; Riverbend//OR/Yaquina Bay (1999, Markham 2004, parasitic on Upogebia pugettensis, Chapman et al. 2012)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Probable | Ballast Water |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Parasitism | |
| Orthione griffenis, a bopyrid isopod, inhabits the gill chamber of the mud shrimp Upogebia pugettensis, and sucks its blood, greatly reducing the shrimp's reproductive potential (Floyd and Chapman 2005; Smith et al. 2008; Griffen 2009). In Yaquina Bay, prevalence of these parasites was high 57% for males, 80% for females (Smith et al. 2008). The metabolic costs of parasitism are likely to reduce the abundance of this species in the upper intertidal parts of its range, where feeding time is limited, while animals in the lower intertidal have more food, but also more exposure to the planktonic stages of the parasites (Griffen 2009). A decline in abundance of U. pugettensis has been observed throughout its range, coinciding with the arrival of the parasite (Griffen 2009), but the role of the parasite in mortality and reproduction of the shrimp is not clear (Smith et al. 2008). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Trophic Cascade | |
| A decline in abundance of Upogebia pugettensis has been observed throughout its range, coinciding with the arrival of the parasite (Griffen 2009). The mud shrimp is a major player in the foodweb of northeast Pacific estuaries, as a suspension-feeder and intertidal prey item for birds and fishes, and is also an important ecosystem engineer as a burrower (Smith et al. 2008; Griffen 2009). | ||
| Economic Impact | Fisheries | |
| Upogebia pugettensis is widely used as fishbait in the Pacific Northwest, so that its decline could affect recreational fishing (Floyd and Chapman 2005). On the other hand, this mud shrimp is regarded as a pest in oysterbeds, and is controlled with pesticides, so that its decline might have benefits for oyster fisheries (Smith et al. 2008). | ||